Tag: GTI

To most car owners, Consumer Reports’ findings are always suspect and are never truly accurate. Because they base part of their reports on the reviews of their subscribers, the findings can be a bit distorted. While they do test these cars themselves, they’re also using other forms of secondary statistics to decide which vehicles and brands are worthy to be put into the top 10. Shockingly, the Buick Regal gets best in the sports sedan class while the Buick Brand gets places in 7th behind Porsche, Subaru, and Audi in the top 10 auto brands.

Buick finds themselves among some of the most well-known brands in the industry, and it’s rather interesting how Consumer Reports came up with the findings. The real question is, based on what? Price? Reliability? Performance? It should be noted that the Buick Regal is in fact a rebadged Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, so no matter what your take is on this report, apparently having your car built in Germany can make all the difference when it comes to quality.

The Regal is priced between $29,000 – $40,000 putting it in the price range of the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Volvo S60, and Infiniti G37/Q40 to name a few. That’s some worthy competition to be up against and to beat out. The one factor that hasn’t been taken into consideration is long term reliability, and seeing as though they’re basing these findings on the 2015 models, we can’t tell if the Regal is better overall in the sports sedan category when it comes to reliability.

When it comes to the Buick brand itself, they are making better cars, but that might be due to the rebadging of Opel’s. Buick is certainly selling nicer cars than a few years ago, but to put them in the same sentence as Porsche, Subaru, Audi, and Lexus in the top 10 auto brands is far too early and very bold.

The other shocker from this report is the Chevy Impala’s rank as best in the large sedan class. Again, I want to know what it’s based on. I’ll respect the honors it’s receiving if I could understand why exactly this car is better than all the other large sedans on the market. Even when it comes to Buick, I just want an explanation as to why and not just a graph showing me that the Buick Regal is best in the sports sedan class.

What do you think? Cars are not one of Consumer Reports’ strong suits, but I do agree with Subaru’s dominance in the mid-sized sedan and compact car classes. Who do you think should have gotten the honors in the sports sedan and large sedan classes? Do you agree that the Buick Regal is the best sports sedan, or Buick is a top 10 auto brand?

Consumer reports also left out the hatchback class, but we all know the GTI would have gone home with that award.

The percentage of Americans leasing cars has boomed to 20% over the past few years. Rough economic times, better leasing offers, and car manufacturers creating better vehicles has helped spur the growing number of consumers leasing instead of buying new. Some car dealers may prefer that most consumers would much rather buy, and that leaves the opportunity for those who buy certified pre-owned vehicles with an endless array of quality cars at reasonable prices. As with most trends in the economy, there is always an opportunity for someone to walk away with a great deal, and right now it’s time to take advantage of the leasing craze that is growing across the country.

Tesla just unveiled a leasing program for their Model S, which will now make monthly payments cheaper for the consumer.

With sales of its electric sedan declining in its home market, Tesla Motors Inc. this week launched U.S. incentives that cut its monthly lease price and aim to convince potential customers that buying the car is a safe financial bet.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said the Silicon Valley car maker is joining with U.S. Bank to cut monthly lease payments by as much as 25%. In a blog post on Saturday, he credited the bank’s lower cost of capital for the lease-rate cut. He also unveiled a “happiness guarantee,” promising to take back cars within the first 90 days of ownership “if you don’t like your car for any reason.” The return policy doesn’t allow a buyer to swap for another vehicle.

While some would say this is because of declining sales, this is happening across the board for most auto manufacturers. Leasing is becoming the new normal, especially with the uncertainty of the long term health of the economy. You might ask, “So where are the opportunities?”. Here are three cars that are under $25,000 and are from luxury brands that can be found on dealership lots. Best of all, they’re certified pre-owned and the mileage is below 31,000.

1) Volkswagen GTI/Wolfsburg Edition

It’s not too uncommon to find Volkswagen Golfs, but to find multiple GTIs spanning from the years of 2011-2013 is very surprising. Even better for the consumer, there are a few Wolfsburg edition GTIs on the market that are under $25,000, one of which has only 5,000 miles on it. These are gems, and with the turbocharged engine that supplies 200 hp, you get performance and cargo room which is always a plus.

2) 2011 Lexus IS 250

To see these under $25,000 with close to 20,000 miles is certainly an eye opener. A local Lexus dealer outside of Boston has a few of these, and even though they are the base models, they’re still fully equipped and in great condition. Navigation system and backup assist make you feel like you’re getting away with more than what you paid for, but these are the types of deals that are out there. Seeing a Lexus IS on the market in great condition and not overly driven, it makes you question why there are certified pre-owned Toyota Camry’s and Chevrolet Malibu’s in the same price range.

3) 2011 BMW 3 Series

Just as the Lexus IS, the model year may be the only reason why these luxury cars have depreciated in value. There are BMW 328i X-drives that only have 25,000 – 30,000 miles on them and priced under or at $25,000. Once again, this is a luxury sedan that will make your mouth water because to see a BMW in unbelievable condition at that price was unheard of a few years ago.

When seeing offers and deals like this, it really makes you consider going the certified pre-owned route. The automotive market is evolving, and unlike 10-15 years ago, going used isn’t a bad thing, especially when you have three solid vehicles at reasonable prices. This is only the beginning though. Seeing that there is no reason to believe the leasing trend is going to slow down, there will be more opportunities down the road. Who knows what will be on the market a year or two from now, and maybe there will be better offers than there are right now.